Unbroken
by queenconniebee
Summary: Connie and Jacob are still in love, but with Grace's view of the implications of their relationship, they cannot stay together. This is my take on what could have happened in 'Hopelessly Addicted'.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Casualty, any of its plots or characters. Any recognisable dialogue will be in italics.**

I have changed the order of the scenes, so the lift scene has already happened and the cupboard one is to come :) This is a Jonnie fic, but I would love to try writing other characters/ships. If you like how I write, please feel free to request something via my tumblr ( queen-connie-bee) but if not, that's fine too! I will be updating this every day for a week, I hope you enjoy it!

She sat at her desk in her office, fingers placed on her temples, her fringe pushed up over her hands in frustration. Jacob was struggling, and all she wanted to do was console him. After the shooting, she knew the accident last week would shake him more than he would admit to anybody else. His words seemed to reverberate around the room, _"you're not the person I talk to about any of that anymore."_ He was hurting, and she had added to that pain, because she knew how much that man had adored her. He had proved it to her time and time again. It was all the little things as well as the heroics. It was the nicknames and the casual flirting, him opening up to her after being shot, the brief touches and glances where the other knew exactly what was being conveyed. Him comforting her the day of Roxanne's death. He hadn't made a show of it, but he gave her what she had needed at that moment. He always had done. Everytime he looked at her, she was overcome with a want and a need for him. She had not experienced anything like this before, not with Michael, not even with John, she thought. She had loved John, but this had been different. This was different. She hadn't said the three words that she knew would have meant the world to Jacob, but that didn't make it any less true.

Pushing her hair back into place, she stood from her desk and picked up her stethoscope from it's place on some papers. She glanced at the clock, there was still five hours to go before the end of the shift, and even then she would be in the on call room. Grace was staying with a friend, and being at home on her own only brought back bad memories, the nights on the sofa with glass after glass of wine, the only company being that of overwhelming guilt and sadness. She couldn't hurt Grace again, she had been put second constantly throughout her childhood and if this meant that she couldn't have Jacob.. There was no choice. She could not put her feelings for him before her daughter. All throughout her life, her attention and time been divided between work, her daughter and the men she barely knew, and her relationship with Grace had suffered. With this second chance, it was not going to happen again.

She opened the door and closed it behind her, her heels clicking quickly as she went to find Rita. Walking straight past reception and through the double doors, she caught a glimpse of a white uniform leaving resus, before she saw Rita coming around the corner and he had gone.

"Rita, are those two other girls still in resus or have they been moved through to cubicles yet?" She caught up with the blonde nurse and they walked in the direction of the nurses' station as they talked.

"As far as I know Jacob has just gone to see if Dylan has finished with the boy in 3, and I just saw Ethan discharge a patient in 4 so I'll get on it now. Is Dani out of theatre yet?"

"I haven't heard, but unless there were any complications then I'd expect them to be done soon. Has someone called in the parents?"

As they stopped, Rita looked at Connie in surprise. Normally she didn't concern herself with anything other than the medical practicalities.

"I think Noel has them in reception, when she comes down we'll take them through."

Connie picked up a file that had been left on the top of one of the surfaces and quickly flicked through it's pages. Rita took this as a sign that this conversation was finished and headed back towards resus, catching Iain's eye as he sauntered through the department proclaiming the end of his shift. Connie watched them and she smiled, she had always liked Iain and knew how much of a comfort he had been to Dixie after Jeff had died. She put the file back down, and considered returning back to her office until she was called to re-assess Dani. She decided to get herself a coffee first, and then finish some forms so they wouldn't be sitting there for her in the morning.

"Connie!"

She heard Zoe before she turned around and saw her, her dress splashed with blood and her hands up in front of her,fingers splayed, and a look of disgust on her face.

"Connie, I'm really sorry but there's no syringes left in cubicles and I can't find Robyn or Louise, I wouldn't ask but I need to find some.."

"Scrubs." Connie finished for her, biting her lip to hide her smile.

Zoe looked at Connie and smirked, knowing that both of them were recalling the last time Connie had made a remark on Zoe's ungainly appearance.

"Go on, you go and clean yourself up, I'll get them now."

"Thanks Connie, I won't be long."

 **I would really appreciate reviews as this is my first attempt at writing any kind of fic, thank you! x**


	2. Chapter 2

Zoe hurried off to the lift and Connie sighed, making her way past cubicles and to the store cupboards. She was tired, and she wasn't even in the mindset to berate Rita over the inadequate availability of her staff. They had been getting on better recently, on a professional level, especially since the arrival of Jacob in the ED. Wherever she looked about her surroundings, there was something there to remind her of him. The wall on the back of the side room where Emma had been treated, where they had kissed. The doors they walked through together, his hand wrapped about her back, dipping into her coat to caress her side at the end of a shift. The bed where they had been treating Dani in resus, the same one where she had stumbled and he had caught her, the first time that he had touched her at all. At all of the desks and in the cubicles where he had insisted on using her nicknames and had tested even her own professionalism. She couldn't believe she was thinking like this, like some lovesick teenager, but he was in her head and there was little room for much else.

On reaching the cupboard, she turned the handle and closed the door behind her, stumbling in shock as she turned around to see Jacob, with the syringes he had been holding now scattered on the floor. She felt his hands at her waist, as he quickly pulled her back onto balance before she fell into the shelves. She met his eyes, and placed her hands down onto his, which quickly fell to his sides, and he turned away to bend down to the floor.

She stood there, and watched as he picked up each syringe and put them into a plastic container, only fit now to go into a bin. She flicked her hair over her shoulders, then bent down next to him, clutching her stethoscope to her chest as she did so.

"Rita said you'd gone to see if they had space for the girls in cubicles, why are you here?" Connie asked, her tone seemingly accusatory. It hadn't meant to come out so harsh, and immediately she wished she had just stayed silent.

"Charlie asked me to restock the syringes. That's my job, right? Unless you have a problem with me doing that as well?"

"Jacob, no I.."

"Don't, Con." Jacob stood up and put the tub onto one of the shelves and watched as Connie stood, readjusting her stethoscope. She began to take out syringes from one of the boxes on a shelf, packing them into another plastic tub.

"They'll be bringing Dani back down soon, Noel has her parents in reception so they'll need to go through to the relatives room." Connie spoke, as she tried to regain some control in the situation.

"Yeah I know."

He then brought out the bag containing the tablet he had been given earlier. " _One of the girls gave me this earlier. Cute right?_ " Connie took it from him, turning it over in her hand.

" _Is that a heart or a split tongue?_ " She looked at him, and he gave a small, low laugh. He walked over to the door, after packing the tub of dropped syringes into a bag and tying it, and pushed the handle down. It moved but the door didn't give, it was stuck. He tried again, and gave it a more forceful push but it wouldn't move.

" _Did you lock this?_ "

" _No_." She didn't even look up from what she was doing. Jacob continued to rattle the handle, but to no avail. He dropped the bag to the floor and now used both hands.

 _"Jacob, Jacob stop! Jacob I've got it, okay?"_ Connie made her way to the door and pushed the handle down, the door opened and she turned back around to look at h _im._

 _"Is everything okay?"_

She asked him, looking into his eyes and noticing that what looked like tears had formed. He was tense, with one fist balled up and the other pushing down on a shelf to the side of him, as if to help steady his balance.

"Jacob?"

His vision began to blur, he looked down and she could see him begin to tremble. She closed the door, kicked aside the bag and took hold of his hand. She stood in front of him and placed her other hand on his forearm, which was supporting him.

"I'm okay Con, just go." His breathing was shaky, but as he tried to shake her off, she only tightened her grip.

"Jacob it's okay. It's alright, I'm here." She looked up to meet his lowered eyes.

"I've got you."


	3. Chapter 3

He was still having difficulty breathing due to the sobs that he had been struggling to hold back. He leant back against the shelves, and brought his head up to look down at her, this beautiful woman who he loved, who he would do anything for. Even leave. If that was what she wanted, he would do that for her, out of love. She squeezed his hand and didn't break his gaze, and in that moment he truly understood. He knew this decision to abandon their relationship wasn't down to Connie's feelings for him. He had known that but it wasn't until now that he had really realised that she was doing this also out of love. Love for Grace. She hadn't had a choice. Cal had told him about what happened that dreadful winter, and now he could understand why what had happened, between her and him, did. She was crying now, too. The tears, he watched them trace the skin under her eyes, until they stopped on the highs of her cheekbones before they tipped, and rolled gently down her cheeks. Even when she cried, she was beautiful.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, and let go of his hand to brush away her tears. He took it back, held it in his and laced their fingers together. Using his other hand, he gently caressed her face, as if mapping her out, freckle by freckle. She hated them, but they were just another thing he loved. His fingers shook a little, but with Connie so close, he began to regain some control. She closed her eyes, and Jacob pulled her into his arms, wrapping her up in a protective cage.

And she broke. Her hands went to her face as she cried, and he cradled her, holding her tightly to him and moving one hand to the side of her head. She wanted him and needed him so badly, the fact that she could stand here, crying in his arms, meant more than she could ever say. She would let him support her, the woman who had never wanted to rely on anybody except herself. She would surrender her entire self to him, without fearing the consequences. It didn't mean she was any less strong. It meant she had finally found proper love, honest love. He stroked her hair and kissed her head shakily, but still with pressure and tenderness. Connie lowered her head further, beginning to push herself away from him. This was another mistake, she was only making this harder for herself and for him.

"Connie, look at me." She felt a tear drop into her shirt as it rolled down her chin, as it was tilted by strong, gentle fingers. She met his gaze and fresh tears began pricking at her eyes again. Her shoulders heaved and she swallowed, allowing the them to fall. He still had an arm wrapped around her waist, and she ran her hand up his chest, before carefully touching her fingers to his face.

"I love you."

It was a shaky whisper, yet the honesty and vulnerability in her voice filled him with the absolute need to protect her. She had been fighting with herself and her feelings for so long, that she had forgotten how to stop. He would prove to Grace that this relationship was different, he would show her how much he loved her mum, and ask her to give him that opportunity to show that he loved her too.

When he didn't respond, she opened her mouth again, but unformed words were silenced by his lips on hers. She instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck, and his were around her waist, pulling her tightly against him. He loved how she fit so perfectly between his legs, and how even though he was leaning back against the shelves and she was in her heels, she was still significantly smaller than him. He smiled into her kisses, and tasted the salt of her tears, as he thought of just how much he loved the fact that even Connie Beauchamp was occasionally handicapped by something as ordinary as height. Naturally, it was the source for endless teasing on his part, despite how much she would protest, he took great pleasure in changing the light bulbs and taking her favourite coffee blends from the top shelves in the supermarket. He needed more moments like this, with her and with Grace. And for that to happen, Connie had to know that this didn't mean she was neglecting her daughter, and Grace had to know that her Mum wasn't abandoning her in favour of a relationship that she thought was more important.

He closed another soft kiss before drawing back slightly. She relaxed her arms from around his neck, he took her hands in his, and gently used his thumb to soothe her as she watched him. This man made her feel how she had always wanted to feel. Her entire persona had been created as a cover for how quickly she knew she could fall apart. Inevitably, it had become a natural part of her; the steely glares, cold words and the quick wit which gained her admirers as well as enemies. Of course, Jacob did admire that about her and she enjoyed that, but it was her ability to be her truer self with him which made her fearful of losing him.

He was something she could never find again.

"It isn't fair." Again, it was a whisper, but she laced her fingers together with Jacob's and he knew how much this was hurting her. She felt trapped, and felt guilty for it because she should only be thinking about Grace.

"Connie, we'll talk to her. Not just you, and not just me. I know you're thinking that you can't do this, 'cause this is what she said you can't have, if you want her to stay." He brushed his lips to her forehead, and she closed her eyes. They then flew open, as both of them heard the clunk of the handle and a voice, before they saw Charlie's head peer around the door whilst in conversation with no one in particular.

"...tell Mrs Beauchamp that you're slacking J..." He trailed off, noticing the couple before continuing, with a wry smile on his face.

"I'll take those syringes and go shall I, Jacob?" He winked at Connie, took the plastic box she had filled earlier from a shelf on the left, before leaving, tapping his fingers over the lock on their side of the door, and closing it behind him.


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm sorry that this is a short update, the next few chapters are going to be longer like Chapter 3 :)**

 **I hope you're enjoying it so far!**

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"I'd completely forgotten about those." Jacob chuckled softly, with Connie still standing between his legs, her fingers still intertwined with his.

"I'm sorry for the distraction..." She looked at him now with a smile, the first he'd seen on her face in days.

"Oh, you don't look that sorry to me, sweet cheeks." She gave a slight laugh as she remembered their words, the morning after the first night they spent together. He had made her eggs and they had arrived to work together, much to the interest of the rest of the staff in the ED. Now all of the talk was centred on the reason for their attempts at mutual avoidance, however Charlie could happily amble back to the nurses' station to put those rumours to bed. No, she thought, Charlie didn't gossip. About her anyway, and that was something she was definitely thankful for.

"What're you thinking?" As he spoke, he straightened himself up and turned slightly, so he wasn't leaning anymore and the lower shelves weren't digging into his knees. He didn't let go of her hands, but now he really did tower over her.

"I missed you."

And with that, all of the moments in which Jacob had spent missing her surged through him, all at once. As he kissed her, he moved forwards and pushed her back into the door. She cupped her hands to his face, his hands moving upwards now from her waist to the sides of her ribs. She opened her eyes and turned her head so his lips caught her ear, and then her neck as she fumbled to the side of her for the lock. Once it had jerked over and clicked into place, she immediately wrapped her hands around his neck, pushing her tongue against his. She smiled against his lips as he took the stethoscope from her neck and let it skitter across the floor, before deftly nicking at the buttons of her shirt. As he untucked it from the waistband of her trousers, she removed her hands from his neck and tucked them inside the folding of his uniform, before hearing the satisfying scratching of Velcro being peeled away. His skin felt hot and taut with layers of muscle, his head now dropping to nuzzle her neck and trail kisses over her collarbone. She rolled her head back against the door as he reached her sternum, his fingers brushing the top lace trim of her bra.

They were interrupted by the bleeping of her pager from inside her trouser pocket. He groaned, but continued to kiss her, despite her protests. She brought a hand up to her face, using two fingers to silence him, before she flipped her hair and kissed him again, directing his hands back to her shirt. He did her buttons up slowly, and she closed a kiss before pushing him away to tuck it back into her trousers.

"You missed me too then?" she teased. He placed his hands back around her waist, before looking her up and down, as if inspecting her. He then patted down her fringe, and she rolled her eyes.

"Don't roll your eyes at me sweet cheeks, do you want us nurses gossiping about those flyaways?"

He then picked up her stethoscope from where it had landed, and positioned it back around her neck.

"Thank you, Staff Nurse Masters." She pecked his cheek, before stepping back, with her hand on the door handle.

"You'll talk to Grace with me, after shift?"

"Of course, Connie." He sighed, and watched her as she did up a button he had missed.

"What are you sighing at me for?" She didn't look up, so he stepped forward, closing the distance between them, and tilted her chin to his.

"What am I going to about you eh? If you're not being kidnapped by some maniac or falling through a ceiling, it's the other one's ultimatums, and it all impacts on me too you know. You Beauchamp girls do give me a lot of hassle."

She looked at him, eyebrows raised.

"It's a good job I love you, isn't it?"

She removed his hand from her face, and pecked his cheek before pushing down the handle.

"Shut up."


	5. Chapter 5

Hours had passed, she had not seen Jacob since but had received a text to say he would find her in her office once their shift had ended. She was now sat there, phone in hand, contemplating exactly how she was going to tell Grace that she wanted Jacob to come home with her tonight. She needed to be honest, but the likelihood of her daughter's approval was near to non existent. She sighed, but knowing there was no other option than to make the call she pressed the button and put the phone to her ear, elbow on the desk and her other hand curled to her head, anticipating the impending flurry of attitude and angry accusations. To her disappointment, the dialling tone only lasted a few seconds before she was through.

"Mum? Are you okay?"

She took a deep breath and leant back in her chair, before biting her lip and considering whether this really was the right thing to do.

"Yes darling, I'm fine. Is Natalia there with you?"

"She's here.. Are you coming home?"

"Soon Gracie, I just.." Connie broke off, hearing a knocking at her door. It was Charlie, and as he entered she motioned for him to leave, pointing at the phone and swivelling her chair around to face her bookcases.

"I need you to listen to me Grace, let me explain first and then I'll listen to you, okay? Jacob's going to come home with me tonight. He won't be staying, he just wants us to talk. We want to talk to you."

There was silence on the other end of the line, and Connie realised that she was absent-mindedly tapping her fingers against the edge of the desk, a habit she would constantly tell Grace off for at the table. She drew her fingers back and fiddled with her earrings instead.

"Grace?"

Despite the lack of reaction, she already felt strangely relieved. That was the most difficult part done, she could explain anything Grace wanted her to explain with ease. She wanted this to work, and Jacob had offered her a chance to do that.

"You told me that you had finished it with him."

Where she had expected anger and disbelief at going against Grace's demands, she heard something in her daughter's voice that was oddly calm. Turning back around in her chair, she could now see Jacob though the glass of the door at the nurses' station, and she felt the corners of her mouth twitch.

"Me and Jacob.. I love him Grace, and he loves me. He loves you too. He makes me happy."

"And I don't? Mum, it's me or him. I know what will happen if he stays."

There was another pause, but this time it was Connie who didn't respond.

"I don't not like him Mum. But you don't have time for everything, it'll be like it was before.."

"No, Gracie." She whispered, and she felt a lump forming in her throat. "It will never be like it was before, I'm not going to make those mistakes again." She coughed slightly, before pressing a finger to the corner of her eyes. Jacob would help them. Grace would have to spend less time with the babysitters, he would be there at home to look after her and take her out while she was at work, and she could use her allowed time off instead of considering holiday time as for the uncommitted. In truth, the reason she didn't take it was because she would only be spending time at home with an unhappy daughter who left the house to spend time with friends, because she couldn't stand her mother.

"He won't be staying?"

"No, we just want to talk to you Grace." Connie sighed, and tilted her head one way, then the other, wincing as she felt a series of clicks.

"Okay." Her voice was quiet, but Connie could tell that there was something wrong. She should be shouting, threatening to call Sam or Audrey, and she hadn't mentioned either.

"What's the matter Gracie?"

"I want you to be happy Mum. But I don't want to go back to America."

Connie felt a tear slip down her cheek, and as she brushed it away she could hear Grace's voice start to wobble.

"Grace listen to me, that's not going to happen, okay?" She took a deep breath before continuing. "That's not going to happen."

She knew that Grace wanted Jacob out of the way, but rather than talk through the exact reasons for this, Connie had acted in order to do as her daughter wanted, for fear of losing her. She knew that according to Grace, being with Jacob was just another reason for Grace to be put second. She had to talk to Grace now, and show her that this was not going to happen, it couldn't. Jacob would make things better, for both of them.

"I want him to come."

Slightly taken aback, Connie dropped the pen she had begun to twirl around in her hand.

"Grace, I love you so much, and please don't think that me asking you to allow us to try and work this out, together, means that I am in any way choosing him over you. All I want is for you and me to be happy Gracie." She could see Jacob walking over now, ready to leave. "I'll be home in about half an hour darling. Tell Natalia to make you some hot chocolate, and to put the kettle on before she leaves. I love you."

"I love you too, Mum." Grace hung up, and although it wasn't perfect, Connie knew that it could have gone a lot worse. She put her phone into her trouser pocket, and flicked her hair back over her shoulders from where it had fallen over face. She took her stethoscope from around her neck and laid it down, slightly curled, in the centre of the desk. As she walked to the stand where her coat and bag were hung up, she heard the door open and close, soon enough strong hands were around her waist and turning her around to face him. He kissed her gently, before reaching to take her coat and bag from the hook and looking down at her.

"Will you be needing a human shield?" He raised his eyebrow in amusement as he watched her fold her arms and tilt her head to the side. She poked her tongue into her cheek, and Jacob gave a slight chuckle.

"All I'm saying is that I know she takes after you, sweet cheeks... If arrows are going to be flying then I need some preparing if you're to come out alive. Or are they going to be fired in my direction?" He grinned cheekily at her, and she took her things from him before responding.

"I seem to remember you recovering remarkably well after numerous accidents of late, I don't think my daughter is going to be the cause of your demise. If you're lucky." Now she smiled at him, and led him from her office, and out of the ED. He slipped his hand into her coat and around her waist, stroking her side gently as she struggled to keep herself from smiling. They reached her car and as she got out her keys, he put his arms around her and bent his head around her shoulders to kiss her. She brought her head up to meet his, before unlocking the car and opening the door. She broke off from his kiss, handing out her bag to him and he rolled his eyes, walking around to the passenger side and getting in, her bag on his lap. She turned to look at him, and he could only admire how beautiful she was. There were still faint tear tracks on her cheeks, her makeup was slightly smudged, but it didn't make any difference. He would vow never to let things go back to how they were before, she had his heart and he had hers, and he was going to show Grace that he was there for them both now.


	6. Chapter 6

"You okay Con?" They were sat in the car on the driveway, and Grace had appeared at the front window having heard them pull up but not come inside. She sighed and took her bag from Jacob, opened the car door and began to walk to the house. He followed her, and once they were inside he waited by the stairs as Connie hung up her coat, thanked Natalia and paid her, before she too left and the three of them were left alone. Grace appeared at the entrance to the living room, a mug of hot chocolate in her hand.

"The kettle's just finished boiling." She then turned and went back into the room before settling on the sofa.

"Um, Jacob, just come through here for a minute," Connie led him into the kitchen, dropped her bag on a stool and then made her way over to the kettle to make them tea. She had been surprised to learn that he preferred tea to coffee, and without a second thought she pulled down the mug he had left at hers since the beginning of the year.

"Do you want me to do that? I think you should be in there with Grace now, I'll be there in a minute." He ran his hands up and down her arms as if to try and reassure her, before squeezing her hands once and gently pushing her away from the side counter and in the direction of the door back to the living room. Grace looked up when she came in, and moved over to allow her to sit down next to her. She brought her legs up to the side of her, before cuddling Grace to her and kissing her head. They stayed like that for a few minutes, the only noise being Jacob's movements around the kitchen. She stroked the side of Grace's head, and only shuffled slightly when she heard Jacob come into the room, and sit down on the sofa just across from them, placing two mugs down on the table in front of them.

"Hey, Grace." He spoke softly, and sat with his hands clasped down in front of his legs, slightly stooped. Connie took her mug from the table and sipped at it, wondering if she would actually be able to make the tea last in the time it took them to fill the silence with conversation. Grace shifted from Connie and now sat cross legged, looking intently at Jacob as if waiting for him to continue. He didn't, and Connie clasped her mug now with both hands.

"If you tell us how you're feeling Gracie, we can go from there. We're doing this for you." She spoke softly, and Grace turned to look at her.

"I know we're not normal, Mum. I get that work is important, so I don't mind being looked after by other people when you're not here. But when you do come home or get time off, I want you to spend it with me. Together, like a normal family would. It used to be okay before we moved and you started working more. I didn't mind spending time with Grandma, but she wasn't you."

Jacob looked at Connie, but she was only focussing on her daughter. She had known that this conversation was going to be difficult, and uncomfortable, but now she realised that this was about a lot more than wanting to be more like a normal family. Her whole body felt tense, and all she wanted was for Jacob to be next to her, telling her it would be okay.

"I get that Grace, I do. But why don't you want me and your Mum to be together? Because she has never abandoned you, and what happened last year.. Maybe she did make some mistakes, but we all do that. Your Mum was very unhappy Grace, and it's very hard to make someone you love happy whilst you can't do that for yourself."

Connie turned to look at him, her stomach had turned and she could feel goosebumps inching up her arms. He knew, she realised. He knew what had really happened. And then it hit her, Charlie. He had told Jacob everything, presumably before Sam had taken Grace to the airport and Jacob had known exactly what to do, and say. He knew about Jeff, the lawsuit and losing Grace, Alfred, Romania... She felt her breathing begin to quicken, and attempted to disguise this by shakily sipping at her tea. She closed her eyes and willed herself to calm down, before she felt a warm hand on her knee. She opened her eyes, and saw Grace looking at them.

"Con, give me a minute with Grace. I think there's something she needs to hear just from me."

She looked at him and he saw a flicker of nervousness pass across her face. He took her mug and placed it on the table, helping her up and brushing his hand to hers before she left. She took her tea and shut the kitchen door behind her, not wanting to hear what Jacob was going to say. She knew he would say the right thing because he always did. Knowing that, she had every faith in him being able to talk to her daughter and so picked up her phone and began to flick through her emails whilst she waited, although not sure for what.

In the living room, Jacob had sat down next to Grace, his hands again clasped in front of him, head tilted under and to the side to watch her as she sat with her hands under her legs but still with an unmistakable air of confidence and certainty.

"Do you think your Mum's happy, Grace?" She leant back and swung her legs slightly before answering.

"She's never really been happy."

"No?" He didn't want to push her, but he wanted Grace to open up to him. He knew she was perceptive and mature for her age, perhaps overly so, and that she would have more of an idea about what was going on than Connie thought.

"That's what Grandma said. She said that she 'does what she does' because she's unhappy and doesn't know how to fix it any other way."

Charlie had told him that Audrey was a force to be reckoned with. He also knew, from the senior nurse, that Connie had always had a reputation when she had been in cardiothoracics. He presumed that this was what Audrey had been implying, along with the fact that Connie used work as some sort of escape from her own insecurities. As far as Charlie knew, Grace wasn't aware of what had happened after she had moved in with Audrey or with Sam, or the fact that Connie had not let her go simply to prioritise the ED. However, he also knew that this wasn't the time, if Connie wanted to tell Grace about the lawsuit then she could, but Grace was back now and that was all that mattered to her.

"She was happy when she was with you." Jacob sat up straighter when Grace spoke again, slightly teary. "When I came home and you were still together, she was happy."

"Hey, ssh Grace it's okay." Jacob leant back into the sofa, wanting to console her but not wanting her to get more upset.

"No, it's not." She curled her legs up on the sofa and looked at Jacob. "I want her to be happy, and I want you to be happy too. But I would be in the way and I want to stay here, with Mum, it can't happen if we're both here together."


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm so sorry for the delay! I hope you enjoy this last chapter, and thank you so much for all the positivity :)**

* * *

He put his arm around her now, and she moved closer to him. She was just a child, and all she wanted was to be loved. She was so eminent of her mother that he was surprised when she showed normal, childlike tendencies and he suspected that he wasn't the only one. He needed to be here, to show Connie that she wasn't alone, and for Grace. He wanted to show her that her Mum had always loved her, but balancing different aspects of her life had made it difficult to show it in the way Grace had wanted her to. He had thought for a while that Connie herself perhaps hadn't had a model upbringing, although this had never been talked about between them, and that this had affected how she parented Grace.

"Your Mum needs me Grace, and I am going to do everything I can to prove to you that things will not go back to how they were before. The arguments, you feeling as though she didn't love you, or that she would rather spend time away from you than with you. That wasn't the case and you can choose not to believe me, but I think you do know that, because you love her and you know when she isn't okay. But she will be, and so will you." He paused, and gently held her to him as she sniffed, wiping her eyes quickly and flicking her hair over her back.

"My two firecrackers, eh?" She looked up at him and smiled, and he placed a gentle kiss on her head.

"I'm sorry Jacob."

"Hey, what for? Surely you weren't expecting me to give you both up without a bit of a fight?" She gave a slight giggle, and he squeezed her shoulder affectionately.

"I was angry, and I shouldn't have said what I said to Mum. I was scared and it's just..." She shrugged, seemingly unable to find the right words.

"It's okay Grace. We both understand why you said it. But we're going to try to make this work."

"Okay." She leant her head into Jacob's side and he smiled, thinking of how things were going to change, for him and Connie as well as Grace.

"Will you stay tonight?" He looked at her with eyebrows raised, and she moved closer to him. "She won't cry if you're here." Jacob squeezed her shoulder again, and smiled sadly at the girl sat next to him, who struggled to express the fact that she knew her mother needed him here that night.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. She needs you here Jacob." Grace shuffled from the sofa and Jacob stood up. She led him through to the kitchen, and on hearing the door open, Connie turned around abruptly before she was almost knocked off the stool. Grace came flying towards her and Connie instinctively wrapped her in her arms, before looking over her head to see Jacob leaning against the doorframe. He could see tears begin to form in her eyes, and he desperately wanted to go to them and embrace them both. She bent her head down to Grace's and kissed her gently, before looking back up and mouthing to Jacob words she could truly speak from her heart. He smiled, biting his lip slightly before winking at her and mouthing the same words back to her. Grace looked up, and Connie relaxed her hold on her. She stepped backwards to stand between her Mum and Jacob, who stood looking at each other smiling, her hands now folded on the counter and mimicking Jacob's posture as he still leant against doorframe. She didn't say anything, but smiled at Jacob before walking past him, going back into the living room.

"Come here, you." He stood up straighter and she closed the distance between them, he turned slightly so his back was against one side of the frame and he wrapped his arms around her waist as he brought her close to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him softly, before one of his hands was winding her hair around his fingers and she brought his head down further to her height. She was stood on her tip-toes, and as their kisses intensified, his hand gradually fell from her hair and settled around the small of her back, bringing their pelvises closer together. She smiled against his mouth before pulling back, looking at him and then standing flat on her feet, bringing her hands down to his chest.

"It's going to be okay, Con." He stroked her hair, and she put her head to his chest, listening to the stead beating of his heart.

"I know." She whispered, and he held her tight before closing his eyes and turning his head to see Grace peeking from the living room, smiling. He mouthed to her and she nodded, and he head her settle down onto the sofa.

"Let's go and join her, eh?" He took Connie's hands and kissed her once more.

"You're staying?" She broke off the kiss in surprise, and Jacob laughed.

"Well if you don't want me..." She kissed him before he could continue, and he grinned against her lips before pushing her in the direction of the living room. He watched her settle onto the sofa and cuddle Grace to her, stroking her hair gently. He smiled and moved to sit next to Connie, placing his arm around her and feeling her lean into his side. He tucked her hair behind her ear and brought his lips to her ear.

"I love you." He murmured gently, and she closed her eyes before bringing her face to his and kissing him. She then turned to Grace, who had seemingly drifted off but was still curled into Connie's side. She placed a kiss in her hair, and then let her head relax onto Jacob's shoulder.

"Thank you."

He smiled sadly, knowing that now all she needed was for him to hold her. He didn't need to say anything. She knew she had fallen, and he knew that because he had fallen hard too. She had been broken, but now that she had found him and he found her, he knew that things were going to get better. This woman, this beautiful and complicated woman, along with her daughter were with him now. And to him, that really did mean everything.


End file.
